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My Career and Times in the London Boroughs, the Soviet Union and Ceausescu's Romania
It is strange how events happen in one’s life, almost as ordained. From perfectly respectable and responsible positions in local government; then, by fate, facing a 3-month trial at the Old Bailey; afterwards, a short time back in local government; then, almost out of the blue, living and working in the then Soviet Union and, afterwards, in communist Romania. Unique and fascinating experiences only possible to happen for a short time, as countries change and develop as time goes by.
This book tells how Brian Edwards survived all of the above, having experienced events outside the imagination of most people, which, at the same time, were both extremely pleasurable and also very difficult.
£13.99 -
More in Hope Than Glory
Football is a game that is loved throughout the world at every level. It’s a game that is all-encompassing whether it be the enjoyment of a kick about in the local park or the magnificent spectacle of a World Cup final. Well, this is a football story that lies somewhere between those two extremes, and to be honest more towards the bottom end of the spectrum.
This is a light-hearted true story of a young lad who used to walk four miles to the ground of the team he loved for every home game, and then grew up to become its chairman. It tells of the many highs and even more lows of running a lower league football club. It recounts the hopes and aspirations of every football supporter, followed by the inevitable kick-in-the-stomach feeling when it all falls down. It’s about love and passion for football in a proud northern town.
More in Hope Than Glory is the story of how what was once regarded as one of the most unsuccessful league football teams suddenly and dramatically became a little less unsuccessful.
£14.99 -
Lines from New Zealand
On a dull Tuesday morning in early October 2008, I lost my battle to save our business and property—a French provincial styled restaurant and homestead on a vineyard estate—and with it my job, my reputation, my balance, my clout, my life’s savings, my mind—my life as I knew it. Afterwards, I began writing like a madwoman, and in time a book took shape describing a myriad of experiences and the long journey back to just being me.
After our epic loss, we lived for a year in one of the highest houses in Christchurch with an unparalleled view of the Pacific Ocean and the curved coastline. That house of Up Above Down Under and those mercurial skies saved my life. We now live in The House of Cluck-Cluck where I still spend endless hours in our rambling country garden as I dig in the soil tenaciously for answers about my life.
£14.99 -
Life After Reconstruction
Life After Reconstruction is my story after genital reconstructive surgery. It follows the events of what happened in my life after I wrote my first book, Wings for the Butterfly, published in Germany and in Poland. After the book came out, I thought I would be famous on the spot. Instead, I ended up in a worse situation than I was in; from living in my own flat to being in a refugee home. In the refugee home, which was not supportive for the process of sexual healing after reconstruction, I met up with other forms of traumas, perhaps worse than my own. The result of the hostile environment in the refugee home was the tension that heightened the already frightened sexual restoration, leading to numbness once again and even more rage which eventually became uncontrollable. In order to understand myself better, I became involved with trying to understand the people I came to live with, trying to understand their problems, to the point of understanding that we are all looking for pure love that was denied to us in the formative years.
£15.99 -
Jesus In My Corner
Jesus in My Corner, written by Andy Flute, chronicles his struggle to overcome a myriad of life-long challenges with violence and alcohol. For over 30 years, violence and alcohol were Andy's daily bread until, one day, by the power of prayer, he managed to achieve what no amount of alcohol or prison incarceration could ever achieve. When he was at the point of death, intoxicated with alcohol following a ten-day binging session, I went to see my old mate and prayed for him with Pastor Steve.
Andy was fighting the demon of alcohol and he was on the ropes, down for the count. Andy, a former captain of the English boxing team and British Middleweight title challenger alongside sparring partner Chris Eubank and other world class fighters, knew what brutal fighting was all about. This fight was different, one he couldn't win on his own strength. Andy felt the intense grip and destructive downward spiral alcohol had on his life. Battered and bleeding, with no more strength, he cried out to Jesus.
In a truly miraculous turnaround, Andy found Jesus in his corner and almost instantaneously gave up alcohol. During the bleakest of moments, he experienced a spiritual awakening. Slowly, he found his way through darkest era of his life. He came to believe a power greater than himself in Jesus.
Now with Jesus in his corner, Andy is an active member of Sedgley Community Church. The Bible employs the analogy of wrestling in reference to our warfare with Satan and his hosts. Andy had a fight that only Jesus could referee, this gigantic battle played out until he was baptised in water.
Andy Flute's willingness to share the most intimate aspects of his life was born out of a deep desire to help others addicted to alcohol and violence.
Despite these daunting events, Andy now works hard to live a normal life and raise a family of his own. He regularly attends prison workshops and shares his testimony in local schools. The Lord has made an amazing transformation in his life, He could do the same for you!His good friend, John Cramphorn
£12.99 -
Hard Luck Motty
You will not be able to put this book down once you start!
Hard Luck Motty has been through everything you can imagine.
See if you can find someone who can top my life adventures!
The famous people I have met and spent time with: Hollywood superstars, sporting greats.
The family tragedies along the way.
The excitement and thrills.
The silliness.
The lessons I have learnt the hard way, in my working, sporting and fun life.
You need to read this book.
£10.99 -
Half the Size, but Twice the Life
A biography depicting a real-life account of one woman’s incredible weight-loss story, sharing the struggles and successes throughout the journey of losing half her body weight all on her own, transforming not just herself, but her whole life—with an underlying message about going for your goals, no matter what they may be…
£13.99 -
From Cholera to Ebola
"We've been invited to witness a bonfire of marijuana by the Taliban. Anyone interested?" Amid the missionaries, mercenaries and misfits drawn to the world's most dangerous and volatile hotspots stands Dr John Parker. From Cholera to Ebola is a captivating collection of true stories 25 years in the making. Whether challenging the bureaucracy of refugee camps to cradling children as they died, Dr Parker operated far from his comfort zone, from the norms of medical practice and from the decencies of humanity. His is a life that swung from heartbreaking hopelessness to sheer ecstasy as he battled PTSD to chase his next 'fix' over increasingly dangerous missions. "There are some things you cannot be taught; you have to live them."
£12.99 -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935, in a shack in Tupelo, Mississippi. Though he was born a twin, his brother – who had been named Jess Garon – was tragically stillborn. Elvis died on August 16th, 1977, at the age of just 42, in his Graceland mansion. His death marked something significant in the collective mind, like the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, or Martin Luther King.
Conspiracy theories took off about the circumstances surrounding his death: Was Elvis murdered by the mob? Was his death faked? Did Elvis commit suicide? Is he still alive? This book sheds new light on many of these questions, while also celebrating his music and legacy.
Elvis Presley played a central and vital role in the development of Rockabilly music, drawing as he did on a vast range of styles, from the Gospel music of his southern youth to the country music of the Midwest. This book is dedicated to Elvis: the artist, the human being, and The King.
£19.99 -
Elephant on Main Street
This is this story of Eamon, a little boy growing up in Northern Ireland in the sixties, before he succumbed to Leukaemia, a few months short of his seventh birthday. The book describes specific aspects of his short but remarkable life, all written from his perspective. Each chapter has a footnote which charts the history of the conquest of childhood leukaemia which commenced during his lifetime. The book is based around actual events and things which Eamon said and did which have been passed down. Eamon has the benefit of perspective, so he can describe events that have yet to happen which have a bearing on the life of his family.
£12.99 -
Edward Jenner – the Original Vaccinator
Dr. Edward Jenner was a man who has saved millions of lives due to his discovery of cowpox as the most effective treatment for the killer disease of smallpox.
Born in 1749, he was orphaned at the age of five years, his parents both dying within two months of each other in 1754. He was sent away to boarding school at the age of eight years, and whilst there was subjected to be inoculated with a small amount of smallpox which was the standard treatment of the day, although it was a matter of luck as to whether the patient survived or not. He suffered side effects that haunted him to his dying day.
Luckily for us, he survived his ordeal, and as an adult, he dedicated his life to finding a more effective and much safer cure for smallpox and despite a great deal of opposition from some of his medical colleagues, found the cure and in 1980, the World Health Organisation officially announced that smallpox had finally been eliminated.
There is a statue of him in Gloucester Cathedral and sadly visitors to the cathedral know little or nothing about him. As the 200th anniversary of his death in 1823 approaches, this book attempts to show the reader how much we owe him.
£16.99 -
Cheers, Tears and Jeers - A History of England and the World Cup
Winning the World Cup in 1966 was the high watermark in the history of the England national football team. Both before and after The Day, however, the Three Lions have a chequered history in the world’s biggest footballing event. This book seeks to chart a path through that history, stopping for contemplation at various points on the way. It’s a journey full of highs and lows, with memories both golden and tarnished, and an occasional dip into some iconic games and events where England weren’t involved.
Completed ahead of the World Cup Finals of 2018, the book offers an account of the story up until that event. How will England fare in Russia? Only time will tell, but perhaps a review of the history up until that time may give an indication as to why it ended up as it did.
It’s a tale of smiles and frowns, of joys and sorrow, and indeed of Cheers, Tears and Jeers. It’s the history of England and the World Cup.
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Writing any book can be a fearsome venture. This particular tome took almost three years to complete before it even reached the hands of the publishers.
Research into hundreds of games covering many, many decades was a test of commitment and dedication. Sourcing information, searching old newspapers, countless delving into YouTube videos and any number of reference books, writing, rewriting, double-checking, amending, rewrites—and then repeat. Still with the possibility of occasional errors creeping through. With such a plethora of facts and stats, please forgive any that may have stealthily escaped the critical eyes of umpteen checks and reviews ahead of publication.
It’s difficult to look back now and consider the opportunity cost for the time spent in getting to this stage, but that moment of joy when the job was completed, pays for all.
My aim was to write a history as a neutral observer. As a fan, teasing away the partisan emotion wasn’t easy. I hope I’ve broadly achieved that though. I also hope that you find this book both interesting and enjoyable to read.
£21.99